Two Row Wampum Campaign Focuses on Education and Outreach

An independent researcher based in Glenmont, New York, Greta Wagle applies her background in historical research and Dutch linguistics and literature to shed light on activity in New York State during the 17th century. Greta Wagle also serves as a founding member and director of The Onrust Project, a nonprofit that constructed a replica of the eponymously-named early-American ship.

In 2013, The Onrust Project collaborated with the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Two Row Wampum Treaty. The Two Row Wampum Treaty, also known as the Tawagonishi Agreement of 1613, was an accord between members of the Iroquois Nation and Dutch settlers in the area now known as upstate New York. Some historians believe the Treaty formed a basis for future agreements between native people and settlers in North America. Some also believe one of the Dutch traders who worked on this agreement was Hendrick Christiaensen, a friend and colleague of Adriaen Block, captain of the Onrust.

The Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign, in collaboration with the Onondaga Nation and the Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) initiative, celebrates the Two Row Wampum Treaty and educates others about the importance of the event. The Campaign also focuses on reminding the American and Canadian governments, and their citizens, of the compromises made with this accord, including mutual commitments to ecological stewardship and a sustainable, shared future. To this day, members of the Iroquois nation retain the two-row wampum belt, a beaded belt on which the Treaty was initially recorded.